


Thedas Cuisine: A Compendium of Dragon Age Recipes

by FenxShiral



Series: Thedas Cuisine Project [1]
Category: Dragon Age (Video Games), Dragon Age - All Media Types, Dragon Age II, Dragon Age: Inquisition, Dragon Age: Origins
Genre: Dragon Age Cuisine, Dragon Age Recipes, Gen, Thedas Cuisine Project
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-04-14
Updated: 2017-04-26
Packaged: 2018-10-18 15:03:44
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 8,380
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10619409
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/FenxShiral/pseuds/FenxShiral
Summary: This is a compendium of all of my recipes and posts about my Thedas Cuisine Project, which seeks to expand the culinary information on Thedas and the rest of the Dragon Age settings. Wrriten as an in-universe cookbook written by Chef Morean Pieter Black, one of the foremost chefs of Orlais, and a chef often cited for breaking with tradition, and snubbing his nose at most haute-cuisine that the vast majority of Orlais is fascinated with. Edited by Varric Thethras, both for ease of reading, and to cut down on some more of the needless swearing and snark that Chef Black is notorious for.





	1. Foreward

Glace Noir: A Compendium of Thedosian Cuisine  
by Chef Morean Pieter Black  
2nd Edition  
Edited by Varric Tethras  
Forwards by Chef Augusto Sallada and Madame Vivienne de Fer  
Preface by Varric Tethras  
Published on the 9th, Firstfall, 9:45 Dragon  
Originally publiched on the 7th, Bloomingtide, 9:39 Dragon  
by Maison d'édition de Dumas, Cumberland, Nevarra

 

  
Forward

 

by Chef Augusto Sallada

 

The year was 8:94 Blessed. Very early on a monday morning, there was a quiet but desperate knock upon the door of my restaurant,  _La Petite Fille._ In those days, we had a large wooden door on the back of the kitchen, which always resounded with a loud  _thunk_ anytime someone rapped upon it. In more recent years, we have since replaced it with an elegant mahogany door, which now requires a large brass knocker for us to hear the knocks of would-be visitors. The sun had barely rose, and I was in the middle of peeling a large bag of carrots, that had just arrived the night before. Upon the prep table, my sous chef was deboning a large pile of rabbits, and we were getting ready to start work one a dish that would become a cornerstone of my restaurant: _Lapin des Verts._

I opened the wooden door, my mind wondering what kind of visitor would be calling at such an early hour. My eyes were met with a small fragile boy, his knuckles bloody, and his face smeared with dirt and blood. There was a large, fresh cut above his eye, and his nose looked like it had been recently broken. As my mind raced for an answer of what to do with this injured pre-teen upon my door, a strong but slight voice escaped his mouth.

"Please, sir. Can I have a job?"

I asked him what his name was.

"Morean, sir. But my father calls me Pieter."

I told him that I had no openings in my kitchen for a young boy. He replied that he would do any job. When I replied that I didn't currently have the money to hire anyone, he calmly stated that he would work for free. I asked him why he wanted to work so bad. He explained that his father thought it was important to have a work ethic. To this day, I believe that he simply wanted shelter from whatever had bloodied him - even if it meant working his knuckles to the bone for little to no pay.

I put him to work peeling carrots. He cut his fingers three times, but refused to quit. By the end of the day, four fingers were bandaged, and half of the carrots were unusable - but he had done the job with no complaints. He asked what time he could return tomorrow. I said 8 o'clock in the morning.

The next morning, he was waiting at the door when I arrived at 5. 

"Why are you here so early, boy?"

"I wish to cook, sir."

 _I wish to cook, sir_. It was his mantra for the next six years - no matter what I threw at him. If I had him peel potatoes for seven days straight, down to the point where he had scraped the last of the skin off of his knuckles, he would still return the next morning with the same reply: "I wish to cook, sir."

I came to find out that the young boy and I had similar backgrounds. Like myself, he was born in Antiva, and came to Orlais with his father when he was very young. Like me, he lost his mother when he was a young child. And like me, his father was a strict task-master who demanded that Morean never do anything without giving one-hundred percent.

His no-nonsense attitude and fiery temper were apparent from the start. My sous chef, Claudio, once scolded him for 'burning' the rabbit (to this day, Morean insist's that my sous chef merely didn't know how to sear properly). When Claudio included a comment in his rant about Morean being a "half-breed," the young boy responded by hitting him in the face with a hot frying pan.

By the time he was 15, I had officially employed him, and by 17 he was the second to my sous chef. When he was 18, he expressed his desire to leave - to learn and experience the world - as I had done at his age. His mantra had changed. No longer was his reason,  _I wish to cook_. Instead, when I asked his reasoning, he promptly replied, "I wish to learn, sir."

He returned 4 years later, possessing a breadth of knowledge that rivaled my own. He presented nearly two dozen recipes to me, all of which came from cuisines that I had only heard about. He then asked for a loan, saying that he wished to open a restaurant as I had done. I replied that if he worked for me for another 3 years, I would loan him the amount he asked. He agreed without complaint or delay.

I must, of course, confess that my reasoning for this was selfish. Morean had left my restaurant as a protegee, and had returned as a chef. Just as he had wanted to learn from me, I now wished to learn from him. I shamefully admit that I stole a few of his recipes for my now famous cookbook:  _Le Guide Culinaire._ Morean responded by writing me a letter stating that I had done it wrong, and that he wished for me to stop by so that he could show me the correct way. Morean is not, and never was, one to mince words.

In 9:09 Dragon, Morean succeeded in opening his first restaurant, _Ludovico Sahl'in_ , with Pierre Montclair, a business partner of mine. By 9:13, he was already making waves - becoming both infamous and famous for his masterful grasp of the culinary arts, and his fiery temper. In 9:16, he famously kicked Emperor Florian out of his restaurant when he asked for salt. From 9:16 until 9:19, Morean spent time in prison for his "gross offence to the crown," until he was pardoned by Empress Celene in 9:19. During this time,  _Ludovico Sahl'in_ went out of business without Morean's tight grip on the helm.

In 9:20, he opened up  _Roi de Canard_  (a now infamous play on words, and a very obvious jab at the now deceased florian. As more astute readers might realize,  _canard_ is only a few letters away from  _connard_ ). Serving the same world class as his previous  _Ludovico Sahl'in_ , it quickly gained a similar reputation and following. In 9:23, I visited his restaurant and had his now famous  _Coniglio e Finocchio_. It was served with a masterful fennel and mushroom reduction that I have since not been able to replicate. It was then that I realized that Morean had truly become a chef in his own right, even if he still refused to lose his famous fiery temper and lack of tact.

Morean is now famous for including different menu items from different cultures, each listed in the native language of the culture they come from. His waitstaff are expertly trained to explain every single dish, down to the tiniest detail. When he was with me, I instilled in him a passion for fresh ingredients, sourced locally - and he has followed this. Everything he cannot find locally, he grows himself. Everything else he spares no expense in paying for the finest magical preservation methods to ensure that even ingredients that come from as far away as Par Vollen are as fresh as the day they were harvested.

Unlike many of his contemporaries, however, Morean does not specialize in noble food. Instead, he specialized in peasant food - elevating simple dishes to levels that even the nobility must take notice. Two years ago, he opened his third restaurant,  _Tavolo_ \- a restaurant dedicated to serving cheap food to any who are available. The restaurant features only one single large table, and noble and peasant alike must all sit together if they wish to enjoy a meal there.

With this cookbook, Morean endeavors to bring his recipes and knowledge of Thedosian Cuisine to the tables of all of us - peasant, noble and everyone in-between. After all, as he may be fond of saying: Food is a universal language, meant to be spoken and heard by all.


	2. Foreward

Foreward

 

by Madame Vivienne de Fer

 

Ah, I must admit, my dears, that I do not know where to start. I suppose I must impress upon you, my darling readers, that I am humbled, honored and incredibly flattered that our wonderful Chef Black asked me to write a foreward to his book. If I remember correctly, my exact words were, "Darling, I would do anything for you short of murder and conspiracy - and even that is negotiable depending upon how many _petit-fours_ you bribe me with."

I first met our darling Morean Pieter Black in 9:21, shortly after he had been pardoned by our Empress Celene for the insult against her uncle, and barely a year after he had opened his now famous (and infamous)  _Roi de Canard_. I still vividly remember the menu for our visit. Two simple appetizers, one entree, and our choice of two desserts. When the lovely but haughty Duchess Nicoline kept complaining that a restaurant of this kind should offer a wider variety, Chef Black himself eventually came out from the kitchen, and rudely plopped a large bowl of uncooked ground lamb in front of her while the rest of us were served our mains (a perfectly cooked stuffed saddle of lamb with red wine, rosemary and roasted potatoes). He stated that if she wanted to act like a spoiled bitch, he would feed her like one. He refused to serve her the main course until she apologized, not only to him, but to both of our servers.

I admit that this should have been the first sign that perhaps I should not vocalize a complaint, but I didn't think of this when I complained that there were no petit-fours on the list as dessert. Chef Black responded by bringing out a fresh-from-the oven loaf of Dalish sweet bread, and slammed it down in front of me with such force that my wine glass tipped over, spilled wine all over his pants (He didn't seem to notice or care). He then slammed down a knife next to it, and declared that if it was  _not_ one of the most delicious I had ever eaten, that I could cut off one of his fingers. I would like to state, with much amusement and satisfaction, that our darling Chef Black still has all of his fingers intact. That such a man can act in such a tactless and fiery way - but still have customers lining up outside of the door - should speak to his skill and perseverance. 

Our darling Chef Black's temper has waned and calmed in recent years, and I hear that he is a joy to work for nowadays (unlike the early days, when he would regularly send cooks home for the slightest mistake). But those early days are still some of my fondest memories of the man. Not because of how he acted, mind you - he acted abysmally, and should rightfully be ashamed of his actions in those days. Instead, I think of those days fondly because of the obvious glimmering brilliance of the man.  He was trying to find himself, you see. I can assure you darling, that being along with him on that journey was enchanting - even if I was tempted to slap him across the face a few times for his arrogance, or lack of tact.

Two years ago, for my Darling Bastien's birthday, Chef Black cooked an amazing feast. His menu was filled with succulent braised rabbit, roasted vegetables, dozens of varieties of petit-fours, and a frozen custard that I can still taste on my tongue to this day. I am lucky enough to be one of the very few people he has been willing to cook for outside of his restaurant - I will forever be grateful for that. That he asked me to write this - and demanded that I leave nothing out, least of all his horrible actions during his formative years, I couldn't say no.

Morean has grown from a fiery young chef to an absolute darling in his later years. I can only hope that he continues this trend. If so, he might be downright tolerable in ten years. Enjoy the recipes darlings - I know I will.


	3. Preface

Preface

 

by Varric Tethras

 

"That place is dirty. That plate is dirty. That plate is dirty. That. Plate. Is. Dirty."

It was a loud, busy friday night in the summer of 9:24 Dragon. The sounds of plates clinking together resounded throughout the kitchen, and the smell of fire, sweat and charcoal filled the nostrils of the four cooks who tirelessly toiled in front of a roaring fire and multiple pots of steaming liquid. On one side of the tables stood a man in a white apron, yelling out orders as they were passed to him by servers, quickly but nimbly handing in their orders before returning to the dining room. Above it all, chef Morean Pieter Black's voice resounded through the kitchen of  _Roi de Canard_ , his hands clasped behind his back as he shouted his complaint into a cook's ear. The cook unwisely tried to ignore him, which only caused him to get more irate as he watched the cook plate a beautifully roasted piece of salmon on a dirty plate.

"Are you listening to me?! This plate is dirty, you fucking twat!" The chef finally screamed, tearing the plate from the cook's hands and throwing it in the bin. Grabbing the cook by the collar, he dragged him over to a large dish sink, and shoved him towards it. "If you don't learn what a clean plate is by end of service, you're fired," he spat angrily as both the cook and the dishwasher looked at him in alarm. He pointed towards the dishwasher. "You. You're learning his station tonight since he apparently replaced his brain with a fucking turnip this morning." Before returning to the line, the man shoved his face into the young man, who had recently just been demoted. "You can't plate clean food on a dirty plate you fucking donkey!" He screamed before returning to the line and acting as if the previous exchange had never even happened.

"Table two, please darling," He politely requested towards a young server. He slid across a perfectly plated dish of roasted salmon, pan fried asparagus and confit carrots as two of his cooks put up four other dishes alongside it. "Quickly, please. Thank you, darling."

Chef Black has since tempered since then, losing a lot of his trademark fiery temper and gaining some much needed tact in the process. But long time employees of his will regale you of stories from those early days, talking about how cooks and servers were willing to suffer his wrath and complete hair-pin change of attitude because of his sheer brilliance. It is said that Empress Celene's personal chef got his start underneath Black during his more tumultuous early days. There are some who even bemoan chef Black's loss of his infamous temper - stating that he doesn't develop the same caliber of protegees nowadays. Chef Black would disagree - looking upon his early days as both a revered time of growth, but also a shameful time in which he allowed his temper to get the better of him, and didn't treat people with the respect they deserve. He still swears worse than a Rivaini sailor, though.

Chef Morean Pieter Black is a man whose history is almost visibly apparent in his name. A man with an Elvish first name, Ander second name, and Free Marcher last name. Born to a Dalish mother and human father in the Antivan river city of Seleny, Morean's parents moved to Orlais when he was only three, following his father's employer whom had accepted a post in the Orlesian military. His mother had left her clan in order to be with his father, and his father was a blacksmith in the employ of an Antivan aristocrat, whom had married into the Orlesian nobility. 

Morean's family moved to the Orlesian capital of Val Royeaux, before then moving to the winter capital of Halamshiral. When he was 4, he claims that he first found his passion for cooking when he was wandering the halls of the lord's manor (against his father's wishes of course) and found his way towards the kitchen. Before one of the servants ushered him from the room, he witnessed, in his words, the "heat, ferocity, and completely and utter passionate chaos that can only happen in a kitchen." He stated that he believes this was where the passion for cooking truly began.

When Morean was seven, his mother died of dyptheria, leaving Morean, "Broken, battered, confused and directionless." His father, unable to cope with the added stress of raising a child fell to alcoholism by the time that Morean was 9, leaving him to fend for himself when his father wasn't sober enough to provide discipline. When he was 10, his father was kicked out of the lord's keep for working while drunk. When he was 11, Morean's father was thrown in jail for assaulting a lord while drunk, and Morean was left to fend for himself in one of Halamshiral's orphanages. When he was 12, he ran away from the orphanage because of poor treatment and eventually found his way to the back door of the famous  _La Petite Fille_ , Augusto Sallada's traditional Orlesian restaurant. 

This would start a lifetime of constant perfection and self destruction, according to Black. He describes this time of his life as "Trying to learn how to ride a horse with no legs." Eventually getting tired of how directionless his life seemed, he decided to travel the world and learn about new cultures, as his mentor Augusto had done when he was younger. He travelled to his home in Antiva, and worked underneath many Antivan chefs for nearly 2 years before seeking out his mother's Dalish clan and trying his best to learn their cuisine, "while under constant physical and verbal abuse for being a 'dirty half-breed.'" Black said that the clan eventually accepted him, but not without incredibly persistence on his part.

Eventually travelling through Tevinter, Nevarra, and arriving back in Orlais, Black would assume the journey that would make him the chef we know today. In this cookbook, he tries to impart his wisdom, in his own unique tactless way, while staying true to his roots and philosophy - that cooking is for everyone, and even the simplest dishes can be delicious and luxurious when done right. And of course, there is the commentary of his, which will shed let on his own "brand of crazy," as he likes to put it, as well as the many varied events in his life that have made him the interesting man he is today.

Maybe you bought this book because you want to learn how to make really good Antivan food. But if you're like me, you probably bought this book because you want to read about the time when Morean had sex with a customer upstairs in his office while her husband was eating dessert in the dining room. Lucky for you, both types of things are in this book. Also, if you don't want to read about the types of things that Morean does, or did in his youth, this book probably isn't for you. So, you know, just a warning. But you're reading a book that's been edited by the same guy who wrote  _Hard in Hightown_ , and _Swords and Shields_ , so I suspect you're expecting a fair amount of risque pulp. On the upside, this is a cookbook, so you can always tell your friends that you bought it for the recipes.


	4. Author's Foreward

I once had a woman ask me to cook her a dragon, complete with a warm sherry reduction, grilled tomatoes, fresh herbs, and a freshly opened bottle of the 7:54 vintage of Château de Foret. This was after the difficult, overbearing cow had sent back every single dish given to her, including a grilled chicken, roast lamb, fried squid, and a freshly made Antivan  _Arroz del Sol_ , all with the same complaint: "Not nearly impressive enough." Being the customer pleasing man that I am, I readily agreed - if only because my other option was to stab the woman to death, in front of her son and granddaughter, with the dullest dessert fork that I could find. Ignorant morons like her are unaware that you cannot make something appear just because they  _wish_ it, and she didn't even begin to hear my complaints that it was, quite literally,  _impossible_ for me to serve her dragon. And so, with no other recourse, I told her, "Of course madam, but it will take me a few hours to prepare it." She said that she would happily wait.

In the kitchen, we had a large bucket of frogs that were marinating for the following day. A customer had booked a table the following night, and given that it was his father's birthday, had request that I make my version of his father's favorite dish:  _Cuisses de grenouilles á la Nahashin_ \- Frog's Legs, marinated in vinegar, basil, thyme, olive oil and pepper  - and then fried until crispy. I ordered one of the dishwashers to bring me three frogs, and I had one of my prep cooks pound them with a mallet until they resembled a very thin steak. I then pan-seared them before making a sauce of butter, shallots, garlic and  sherry, and served on a bed of grilled tomatoes, fresh elfroot, and fennel. She loved it, and profusely thanked me for the 'dragon' while her son rolled his eyes and looked at me with a mixture of inquisitive relief and gratitude. Despite her granddaughter and son's insistence that the dish was, in fact, crispy frog (the flavor was quite unmistakable) - the woman refused to believe it was anything but dragon. She repeatedly ordered it on every single visit to my restaurant, and since her death it has become a regular staple of my menu: ' _Drago' a Carastes_. It is my little play on culinary tradition, given that the Tevinter city of Carastes is famous for its flavorful yet simple sauces, as well as its many dishes comprised of pounded and fried meats (particularly pork, veal, and chicken).

This should give you an idea of the odd, crazy and tumultuous journey that even simple culinary dishes can take. I am credited for inventing a "new and exciting look upon Tevinter cuisine," when in reality I merely wanted to please an extremely difficult customer. I, of course, do concede that the dish is quite delicious and has gone through many iterations since that fateful day nearly 40 years ago, but that's hardly my point.

I was 35 when I decided that I wanted to write a cookbook, and I was 43 when I finally set quill to paper. Here we are, nearly 14 years later, and my first cookbook is finally done. I never claimed to write quickly. Besides, it is difficult to find time to write when you are trying to raise 3 children, going through two divorces in the span of ten years, and working 100 hours a week on top of it all. My boys were 3, 6, and 12 when I started writing. The youngest is now 17.

I started writing after my second wife, Alessa, left me. It was a way to eat up the short amount of time I had at night between leaving work and going to bed. In my effort to write, I realized exactly how little time I had in my life for love. I would get up at 5 in the morning and arrive at work by 6. Most nights I wouldn't leave until 9 or 10 at night, at which point my children were already asleep and my wife already exhausted from a day of caring for them alone. By the time I made the 30 minute walk home, I was too tired for much else except sleep. By the time my wife made the decision to leave me, and take my youngest two sons with her, I had begun to feel like a stranger in my own home.

My first wife left when I was 32. To her credit, she left because she caught me fucking a serving girl - not because she was tired of the hours I kept. Even I must admit that I am completely at fault for that one. To my utter dismay and horror, our son has chosen to follow the same path I did - and just recently opened his own restaurant in Treviso. I wish him the best of luck, but earnestly hope that he does not make the same mistakes I did. I am fiercely protective of him - especially since he is the only one of my boys who still wishes to have anything to do with me.

In these pages you will find many things: My opinions on food, far too much of my inane rambling, and recipes from all over the world - each with my own personal touch of course. My mentor once had a saying: We eat with our mouths, but we cook with our heart. I can only hope that I have shown you how much of my heart I put into these recipes. Perhaps they will give you a glimpse in my own brand of crazy. Or maybe they'll just teach you how to make yogurt. I suppose I can't be too disappointed at the latter - it  _is_ a cookbook after all.

_Buona lettura e cucina felice.  
_

_Chef Morean Pieter Black, 9:38 Dragon_


	5. Introduction

When I first sat down to write this book over 20 years ago, I was presented with a question: What level of expertise do I cater to? Do I assume that my audience knows the basics of cooking, or do I assume that they do not? Do I assume that some of my audience knows the basics, but explain them anyway?

I first got the idea to write this book as I was languishing in a cell in the prisons of Val Royeaux, having foolishly allowed my ego to get in the way of my common sense a little over a year earlier. You've most likely all heard the story. In the spring of 9:16, Emperor Florian (may he rot in hell) visited my restaurant,  _Ludovico Sahl'in_. He ordered a starter of Antivan risotto, a main course of our roast pheasant, and a dessert of my then famous black cherry and molasses Charlotte. He was supremely satisfied with his risotto, but before his main arrived, he asked for - no, demanded - salt.

The server politely informed him that we did not have salt or pepper for the tables as we season everything perfectly in the kitchen - and that we would be more than happy to heavily season something if his palate preferred more salt. He responded by calling her an unkempt bitch and said that if she didn't bring him salt - that instant - that he would have her thrown into the dungeons. When she came back to the kitchen and informed me of this exchange, I angrily went out to the dining room and told Florian to, "Get your fat, self-absorbed ass out of my fucking restaurant." He responded by sending his chevaliers back a few weeks later to arrest me for "gross insult to the crown." I later found out that, ironically, Florian was not insulted by me kicking him out of the restaurant - but rather by my insult to his physical appearance. I didn't care about his reasons then, and I still don't.

In 9:19, the fat fuck died, and his infinitely smarter and more attractive niece, Celene, rose to the office. Unofficially, she was empress almost immediately following his death - although she didn't officially take the office until 9:20. One of her first acts was to pardon myself and nearly 100 other prisoners her uncle had thrown into the dungeons for various erroneous reasons. She has eaten for free in my restaurants since. But I digress...

While I languished in prison, I was able to do little else except think. I became very good at keeping notes in my mind (we were not allowed reading or writing materials). I'd like to think that if I were allowed to keep writing materials, this book would have been finished by the time I opened  _Roi de Canard_. But I've already covered the story of how long it took for this book to come into being. With this time in solitude, I nearly wrote the book in its entirety - deciding how to write it, what information to include, etc. I finally came to the conclusion that this would be a book dedicated to the culinary wonders of thedas - not merely another book dedicated to Orlesian or Antivan cookery. And so, as I figured, the book must include the basics - if only to highlight the differences and similarities in the small minutia of the cuisines of the world.

This book will be separated into different chapters, each covering a different cuisine of the world. Each of those chapters will then be segmented down into four distinct areas: Appetizers, Second Courses, Third Courses, and Desserts. It will not be like other books that segment their recipes down to the tiniest detail, separating cookies from biscuits, pies from cakes, and all that nonsense. 

Use this book well. Do not use this book merely to learn how to make a good risotto. Use it to understand Thedas through food. I can only hope that it gives you the passion I have for the cuisines of the world - and the understanding that what might be weird to you is amazing and delicious to another. Keep an open mind,  _buon appetito_ and  _son ava_!

_Chef Morean Pieter Black, 9:36 Dragon_


	6. The Basics - Fundamentals of Thedas Cuisine

"The knife is an extension of your arm, Morean. We do not bash the knife on the board, nor do we scrape the edge. Would you treat your arm this way? Your fingers?"

Chef Sofía Véliz stared down at my hands, somehow seeing vastly taller than her tiny 4'6" frame. I had, without thinking, scraped my knife across the cutting board to move away from freshly chopped onions. I knew she disapproved when I heard the stereotypical loud click of her tongue. When you fist meet Chef Véliz, she looks like every kindly old Antivan grandmother. When you work with her in a kitchen, you realize that the maker somehow figured out how to fit an archdemon inside of a tiny little antivan woman. You have not know fear until a woman nearly half your height has grabbed you by your hair and pulled you down to her level so she can scream at you for ruining the risotto. And then she screams at you again because her screaming at you forced you to lose track of what you were doing, and you burned the fish.

Chef Augusto Salada instilled in me a passion for cooking. Chef Véliz took the fine steel ingot that Chef Augusto had forged and fastidiously hammered me into a perfectly wrought blade. I left Augusto understanding the basics and fundamentals. I left Chef Véliz worshiping them like a Chantry sister worships the maker. I guarantee you that if you understand the basics and fundamentals even half as well as Chef Véliz, you will become a better chef than most - myself included. What takes most people a half hour and two different tools would take Chef Véliz a knife and five minutes. I did not understand that something as simple as chopping an onion could be perfected into an art-form until I worked underneath Chef Véliz.

After working my way through the restaurants of Salle, I showed up to her restaurant, El Bosque, which is located in the center of Treviso. When I expressed my interest in working for her, she promptly handed me a pork shoulder and said, "Cook me something _,"_  and then walked away. She wouldn't let me into the kitchen, so I was dumbfounded as how I was supposed to cook a 10 pound pork shoulder with no oven. I eventually made my way to a local blacksmith, paid him a handful of silver for use of his forge, and cooked a roast pork shoulder in it. When I returned to Chef Véliz, she took a bite of the roast, and simply shrugged. "You start tomorrow. 5 am," was all she said before turning around and going back into her restaurant.

In my entire time working for her, she never gave me a compliment. I came to understand that her silence was the highest compliment she was able to give. My finest moment came nearly a week before I left her, when I cooked her a full meal of summer squash, roasted tomatoes, sun-dried peppers and slow-roast nug. She stayed silent the whole meal, and then simply gently patted me on the shoulder before she went home. It was the greatest compliment she ever gave me.

Even now, twenty years after her death, Chef Sofía Véliz is still considered one of the greatest chefs Antiva, or even all of Thedas, has ever known.

In order to cook well, one must master the basics and fundamentals of the cuisine they specialize in. In order to  _truly_ cook well, one must master - or at least understand in depth - the basics and fundamentals of Thedas cuisine in its entirety. While I cannot promise that this book will give you the same understand and expertise that I have gained over the course of my 42 years cooking, I can promise that I will give you at least a basic cursory knowledge - enough to allow you to use this book to its full potential at least.

Do understand that these are merely the basics - not the rules. Do not make the mistake of thinking that you must do everything the way I tell you. Once you understand the fundamentals, you can make them work for you in any way you wish. Do not constrain yourself to the opinions and tastes of others. 

These are by no means all of the techniques within Thedas cuisine. But they are the ones you will need to understand for this book. Additionally, most of the other techniques can be explained in the recipes with little to no effort, so there is little reason to list them here.

 

**KNIFE CUT FUNDAMENTALS**

There are many varieties of cuts that you may encounter, however not all will be listed here. I will list the cuts that are necessary to the fundamentals, but do keep in mind that these are not all possible cuts. There are many cuts that are either not necessary to the fundamentals, or are even not necessary at all - being more of a type of cut that is used merely to show off a chef's skills with a knife. The following cuts are all the cuts you will need to know (And ideally perfect) in order to cook every recipe in this book.

**STRIP CUTS**

**_Battonet_ **

Battonet means "little stick" in Orlesian, and comes in three sizes: large, medium, and small. A battonet cut is made by cutting the item into a small thin strip, that is longer than 2 centimeters, but shorter than 10. Ideally, you want your strips to be uniform, but this is not possible all of the time. While it is certainly possible to trim your item down in order to make perfect battonets, I would discourage this. Allow the food to be what it is. Do not turn a potato into a perfect rectangle just because you want perfect cuts. The battonet cuts are the starting point for all three of the dice cuts.

Begin by cutting your product down to a somewhat flat surface by is between 6mm and 2cm in thickness. Make regular, uniform lengthwise cuts to create your battonet.

A large battonet is 2cm by 2cm by 4-10 cm.

A medium battonet is 1.25cm by 1.25cm by 4-10cm.

A small battonet is 6mm by 6mm by 4-10cm. 

_**Julienne** _

Julienne is also known as allumette, which means "matchstick" in Orlesian. A julienne is essentially a strip cut that is about half the width of a small battonet. Julienne comes in two sizes: Regular, and fine. The julienne is the starting point for both of the brunoise cuts. It is the same process as a battonet, merely on a smaller level. Cut your product down to a somewhat flat surface that is no larger than 3mm thick. Make regular, very small uniform lengthwise cuts to create your julienne.

A regular julienne is 3mm by 3mm by 3-8cm. 

A fine julienne is 1.5mm by 1.5mm by 3-8cm.

**CUBE CUTS**

_**Dice** _

Dice cuts come in three sizes: Small, medium and large. They correspond in size with the battonet cuts. For a dice cut, start by making a battonet cut. Turn your battonet sideways and make uniform cuts, thus creating small little cubes. 

A large dice is 2cm by 2cm by 2cm.

A medium dice is 1.25cm by 1.25cm by 1.25cm.

A small dice is 6mm by 6mm by 6mm.

_**Brunoise** _

Brunoise is a dice cut made from either julienne or fine julienne. Follow the same process as dice - merely make them smaller.

A regular brunoise is 3mm by 3mm by 3mm.

A fine brunoise is 1.5mm by 1.5mm by 1.5mm.

**MINCE CUTS**

Mince cuts are made by rocking the knife over the product, until a fine mince is achieved. A mince is the first step to making a paste, which is made by scraping the knife against the product, back and forth, until a rough paste is achieved. Use the back of the knife to make sure the product stays in a neat pile as you chop. Never use the blade to scrape the product - it will roll and dull the blade.

 

**BASIC COOKING FUNDAMENTALS**

  _ **Blanch**_

Blanching is a technique in which you very quickly place something in very hot boiling water for 1 to 10 minutes, and then immediately remove it and shock it in incredibly cold (preferably iced) water. Blanching does 4 things: Firstly it helps to retain the color of vegetables when cooking. Secondly, it makes vegetables and fruits easier to peel. Thirdly, it removes the excess bitterness from foods such as Kale, asparagus, and sprouts. Lastly, it helps to maintain the freshness and crispness of vegetables when you later cook them, so that you aren't serving bland, limp vegetables to your guests.

Start with a pot of incredibly hot, boiling water. Plunge your items into the water and allow them to blanch for 30 seconds to 10 minutes, depending on how much you wish to cook them. Then immediately remove them from the hot water and plunge them into a large pot of ice cold water. Let them sit in the ice cold water until they are ice-cold, then remove them and allow them to dry on a large bed of towels. If you are blanching greens (such as kale or chard), you should squeeze the water out of them by gently wringing them out in a cloth.

_**Deglazing** _

Deglazing is not a technique unique to Orlesian or Antivan cooking, but it is used more often in Orlesian and Antivan cooking than in almost any other cuisine. Deglazing is merely the process or pouring cold liquid into a hot pan in order to get up any cooked on flavor that has been left behind by cooking vegetables, meats, etc. This cooked on flavor on the bottom of the pan is a mixture of oils, fats, and sugars that have been caramelized and reduced, and is known in Orlesian as the  _fond_ , and in Antivan as  _fondo_. It is the foundation for quite a large number of sauces in both Orlesian and Antivan cuisine.

_**Reduction** _

Reduction is the process of reducing a liquid down to another point, which achieves a deeper and stronger flavor. There are two modes of thought with reduction: The Orlesian method, and the Tevinter Method. The Orlesian method prefers slow and steady reduction, which results in a smoother mouthful, and a much deeper, but muted taste - but you lose freshness and flavor. The Tevinter method prefers quick and hot reduction, which results in a much brighter, vibrant fresh flavor - but does not achieve the same smooth mouth feel or depth that the Orlesian method does. Both methods have their benefits, and you will find both methods throughout cuisines of the world. Personally, I much prefer the Tevinter method, as I like my sauces to be fresh, vibrant and full of flavor. I disagree with the Orlesian idea of a smooth, deeper sauce being inherently superior, especially if it's at the cost of flavor and freshness.

_**Braise** _

Braising is the process of first panfrying an item, then pouring a flavor liquid over it, and cooking it in the oven the rest of the way. This technique was invented by the Avvar, and is very common in Ferelden and the Free Marches (sometimes to the point of ridiculousness). You will find braised dishes throughout all the cuisines of the world, however. 

_**Sear** _

Searing is the process of placing something in a  _very hot_ (if the pan isn't smoking it isn't hot enough), and then immediately turning the hot down until the product has a gorgeous dark brown caramelized surface. This caramelizes the sugars in the product, which achieves a much more vibrant and complex flavor. Searing is most common with proteins, such as meats, fish and fowl, but it isn't uncommon to sear vegetables or even fruits in the right circumstances.

_**Fry** _

Frying is the process of placing something in hot fat until it is cooked, and deliciously crispy. The amount of fat it is placed in will determine the type of result. Deep frying, for example, submerges the product entirely in fat, whereas pan-frying merely only partially submerges it.

_**Poach** _

Poaching is the process of placing something in hot, but not boiling, liquid and allowing it to cook very gently. The liquid that it is placed within is usually a very flavorful liquid, but it does not need to be. Eggs, for example, are usually poached in water, with only a small bit of salt and vinegar. Poultry or fish, on the other hand, will usually be poached in a very flavorful liquid - something the orlesians like to call _court-bouillon_. 

 

**ORLESIAN CUISINE FUNDAMENTALS**

_**Mirepoix** _

Mirepoix is named after an ancient Orlesian duke, whose chef supposedly invented it and named it after his patron. Whether or not this is true is unknown, as this story is centuries old by now. Regardless of how it came into being, Mirepoix is a flavor base of three specific vegetables: Onions, Celery and Carrots. What makes this flavor base unique is both the cut of the vegetables, and their ratio. The cut of mirepoix is known as a mirepoix cut, and is traditionally a large dice. However, you will just as often encounter mirepoix made with small dice, or even brunoise.

A mirepoix is, by weight, 2 parts diced onion, 1 part diced carrot, and 1 part diced celery.

_**Bouquet Garni** _

A bouquet garni is merely a small bundle of herbs, fastened together by a small string, that is used to flavor soups, sauces, and stews. There is no true recipe for a bouquet garni, however the traditional mixture is: 2 sprigs thyme, 1 bay leaf, 3 sprigs parsley, 1 leek leaf. Place all the spices inside of the leek leaf, fold it over, and fasten it all together with a string, tied firmly and tightly. The recipe for a bouquet garni will frequently change depending on the sauce, soup, or stew that it is flavoring

_**Monté au Beurre** _

Monté au beurre should not be confused with beurre monté, which is a sauce - not a technique. Monté au beurre is Orlesian for "mounted with butter," and refers to the technique of slowly incorporating cold butter into a finished sauce in order to create a stronger emulsion, deeper flavor, and a nice glossy finish. The proper technique is to take your sauce off the heat, put in about 2 to 5 tbsp of butter for every cup of sauce, and either swirl the pan or gently stir with a spoon or whisk until fully incorporated. 

**_Glacé_ **

Glacé means "ice" in Orlesian, and refers to the act of reducing a liquid down to the point where it has taken on a very strong shimmer, and (if the liquid includes sugars or fat) is very syrupy in consistency. The purpose of creating a glacé is to create a very strong flavor base for a sauce while using a minimum amount of ingredients. Traditionally, glacé is done with wine, liquor, juice, or stock. It can be done with any flavorful liquid, however. 

_**Au Sec** _

Au sec simply means "dry" in Orlesian, and refers to the act of reducing a liquid down to the point where it has almost all evaporated. Sec is primarily used to create vinega, wine, or other acid-based emulsions, such as the famous  _beurre blanc_ and  _beurre rouge_. 

_**Liaison** _

Liaison means "bond" in Orlesian, and refers to the technique of using a mixture of egg yolk and cream to add a thick velvety texture to many classical Orlesian sauces. A liaison is much more finite and specific than a monté au beurre, and is also much more finicky as well. Whereas a monté au beurre can be pretty much used in any sauce, a liaison can only really be used in a sauce that is meant to be heavy and dense - otherwise the liaison will drown out the flavor of the base sauce. There is also a rather tight and specific ratio for a liaison: 16x1x2. This means for every 16 ounces (or 1/2 liter) of sauce, you use 1 egg yolk, and 2 ounces (60ml) of cream. Whisk the egg yolk and cream together and then very slowly add some of your hot sauce to the mixture, whisking the entire time. Once the mixture is the same temperature as the sauce, introduce it back into the majority of the sauce, and whisk continuously until the temperature of the sauce reaches 180 degrees. Then strain through a fine mesh sieve. 

 

**Antivan Cuisine Basics**

**_Battuto_ **

Meaning "beaten" in Antilian, Battuto is similar to Orlais's mirepoix, however it is slightly different. Firstly, while it is still a mixture of onion, carrot, and celery - it is not always the case. Sometimes battuto is only carrots, or only onions, or sometimes it adds parsley, garlic, basil, or even pancetta or guanciale. The biggest difference between mirepoix is the ratio. While mirepoix has a ratio of 2/1/1, buttuto has a ratio of 1/1/1, with an equal part (by weight) of onion, carrot and celery. Additionally, buttuto is cut very small, and is usually minced instead of diced. 

_**Soffritto** _

Meaning "seasoned" or "browned" in Antilian, soffritto is a battuto that has been cooked and is ready to be used. There is no major difference other than this between a soffritto or a battuto, and many Antivan chefs will use the words interchangeably. 

_**Sofrito** _

Do not confuse a sofrito with a soffritto. They are both pronounced differently, and mean two different things. Sofrito means "stir-fry" in Antivan. It is similar to battuto, but the mixture is difference. A Sofrito is one of two things, depending on if you are talking about Antivan or Rivaini cuisine. In Antivan cuisine, a sofrito is either a mixture of onion, sweet peppers, garlic and tomato, or it is a mixture of onion, leek, carrots and salt pork. The former is known as a 'northern sofrito' and the latter is known as a 'southern sofrito.' The name difference is because the northern sofrito originally comes from Rivaini cuisine, which lies to the north of Antiva - it has nothing to do with which one is used more often in the north or south of Antiva.

_**Con limón / Con limone** _

Sauces are much lighter and simpler in Antivan cuisine than they are in Orlesian cuisine. While the Orlesians finish their sauces with lots of butter, or cream, the Antivans merely use a few squeezes of fresh lemon juice, which they call either con limón, or con limone - which simply means "with lemon." This lifts the flavor of the sauce and brightens it -  _dare vivicità_ or  _dar vivacidad_ as they say in Antiva.

 

_**Salsa di burro / Con mantequilla  
** _

An Antivan technique similar to the Orlesian Monté au Beurre, the Antivan  _Salsa di burro_ is a way to create a very simple sauce that is both velvety and deep, while also retaining the lightness and simplicity that Antivans prize in their cuisine. Start with any flavorful liquid in a hot pan. Add a small pad of butter and bring to a boil, reducing the sauce down (at a boil) until almost all of the liquid is gone. By doing this you create a very flavorful emulsion that perfectly coats pasta, seafood, or vegetables. This is very common in the coastal cities of Antiva, where it is common to serve seafood in a  _salsa di burro_ that is made with the roasting or cooking juices of that seafood. It should be a noted that the major difference between a  _salsa di burro_ and a sauce that has been mounted with butter, is that a  _salsa di burro_ is essentially reduced down to the point where it is a flavorful butter, whereas the mounted sauce is not reduced at all once the butter is incorporated. It should also be noted that in most cases, a  _salsa di burro_ is finished  _con limón_ like most Antivan sauces.


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